Little Me

Another year older.

I'm officially "in my 50's" now.

With grown children and my own home.

A career that spans almost 30 years.

More life experiences than I can even count.

And yet, some days I still feel like little me.

Just a little girl, trying to figure out the world and her place in it.

Looking up at the people around me who have lived more life than I have and taking in all of the lessons they have to give.

Seeking out the places that bring me joy.

Laughing and dancing and playing as often as I can.

The older I get, the more I understand how important it is that we try not to lose that connection with our younger selves.

It's so easy to get carried away by the responsibilities of life.

To allow the fear, frustration and challenges to make us forget how much good there is in it.

Little me wouldn't want me to do that.

She would tell me to go outside and play.

To put on my swimsuit and go over to Aunt Jo's and splash in the pickle barrel hot tub with my cousins.

To ride my bike across town and buy 10-cent candy from the gas station.

To get up early on Saturday mornings to watch cartoons.

She would tell me not to worry. That it's a beautiful day and I should enjoy it.

Pretty good advice from little me, I have to say.

She's always with me. Even on the hardest days.

And maybe that's one of the gifts that comes with getting older.

We spend so much of our lives trying to become who we're meant to be, only to discover that some of the best parts of us were there all along.

The wonder.

The curiosity.

The hope.

The ability to find joy in ordinary moments.

Another birthday doesn't mean leaving that little girl behind.

It means taking her with me into whatever comes next.

I think that's true for all of us.

Because maybe the secret to growing older and living our best lives is this:

Keeping one hand firmly held by the child we used to be.

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We Are the Sum of Our Choices